ABC7's Beyond the Headlines with Cheryl Jennings: Hispanic roundtable

This week's special edition of "Beyond the Headlines" focuses on the Bay Area's culturally rich and growing Hispanic community. ABC7 Mornings' Jessica Castro leads an in-depth discussion with key local leaders regarding some of today's pressing issues.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Each week we examine stories that affect people who live and work in the Bay Area.

This week's special edition of "Beyond the Headlines" focuses on the Bay Area's culturally rich and growing Hispanic community. The U.S. government defines "Hispanic or Latino" as a person of Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. This includes people from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South and Central America. Recent census projections show Latinos at almost 18% of the country's estimated 323 million people. In California, the last census reports Latinos and Hispanics as 38% of the state population.